Senator Leland Yee: ESRB, Rockstar 'Put Profits Before Children'

California Senator Leland Yee has chimed in on the latest chapter in the Manhunt 2 flap, saying in a statement that "The ESRB and Rockstar continuously put profits before children." Yee, an advocate of legislation that would make selling violent games to minors a crime, went on to recommend that the game's original AO rating be restored, and that the Federal Trade Commission should investigate both Rockstar and the ESRB to see how the whole thing happened in the first place.

Time and time again, the ESRB rating process fails parents. It is unconscionable that the rating board would downgrade *Manhunt 2'*s rating from AO to M and therefore make the game available to children. Parents deserve to know what, if any, content was truly removed to receive the downgraded rating. ESRB has refused to publicly disclose whether or not Rockstar divulged that such adult content could still be accessible. As if we needed more evidence, this episode further puts into question the validity of the entire rating system. It is imperative that parents always review the video games their children are playing and realize that the rating system is incredibly flawed.

Yee branched off from bashing the ESRB long enough for a bit of self-promotion, saying "The Manhunt 2 scandal further demonstrates the need for our law. I am hopeful that the courts will see that severe penalties are necessary for those who sell horrifically violent games to minors."